Full floating starting device



July 25, 1939. w. LINGO I 2,167,618

FULL FLOATING START ING DEVICE Filed Sept. 14, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEYS W. LINGO FULL FLOATING STARTING DEVICE July 25, 1939.

Filed Sept. 14, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 III! I II INVENTOR awn/"ta.

ATTORNEYS Patented July 25, 1939 UNITED STATES:

PATENT OFFICE 3 Claims.

This invention relates to starter drives employed between starter motors and fly wheels of engines and other similar devices and has for the primary object the provision of a device of this 87,; character which will have a floating action to prevent shocks developed by the starting pinion engaging teeth of the fly wheel of an engine or by improper engagement of said parts, from having damaging effects to the starter motor or the engine.

Another object of this invention is the provision of means for reducing to a minimum the breaking or damaging of the driving spring.

A further object of this invention is the arrangement and construction of the various parts, which will permit the device to be easily and quickly assembled and disassembled without the use of special tools and whereby said parts when worn may be easily substituted by others at a very 20. low cost.

With these and other objects in view, this invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation illustrating a starter drive constructed in accordance with my invention and showing the same adapted to a starter motor.

Figure 2 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 2.2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is an exploded plan view, partly in section, showing the drive sleeve, floating sleeve and drive pinion of my invention.

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view illustrating the device assembled on the shaft of the starter motor.

Figure 5 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a transverse sectional view taken on the line 6--6 of Figure 1.

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view illustrating a modified form of my invention.

Referring in detail to the drawings, the numeral I indicates the starter motor and 2 the shaft thereof which is provided with a key groove 3. A feed sleeve 4 having feed threads 5 is mounted on the shaft 2 and free on the latter is a floating sleeve and is provided at one end with a flange l abutting the housing of the starter motor I and engaged by a cushion washer 8 forming a seat for one end of a coil spring 9 acting to normally maintain a starter pinion I 0 out of mesh with the teeth of the fly wheel of an engine (not shown). The floating sleeve 6 is journaled on the shaft 2 and the starter pinion I0 is journaled on the sleeve 6 and has one end of the spring 9 bearing thereagainst and also has formed integrally therewith a flange II, a portion of which is reduced to form a spring rest II. The flange H has a-notch [3 to receive one end of a coiled drive spring M, a portion of which engages the rest l2. One end of the feed sleeve has integral therewith a stop flange l5 and a portion of said feed sleeve is non-threaded and provided with a key slot I6. The non-threaded portion of the feed sleeve is surrounded or has mounted thereon a locking collar l1 engaging a key I8 which fits through the slot l6 into the groove 3 of the shaft 2 thereby securing or establishing a driving connection between the shaft 2 and the feed sleeve 4. A set bolt I8 is carried by thesecuring collar l I and extends through the feed sleeve 4 and is spotted in the shaft 2 to secure the various parts heretofore described in assembled position on the shaft 2. Thus it will be seen that in order to disassemble the parts, it is only necessary to remove the set bolt 18 by a wrench or similar tool and when removed the remaining parts can be easily withdrawn or removed from the shaft by hand.

Threaded on the feed sleeve 4 is a feed nut I9 having a notch 20 to receive the other end of the drive spring l4. The feed nut has a reduced flanged portion 2| forming a rest for a portion of the drive spring and also a seat for one end of a core spring 22, the other end of which bears against the rest 12 of the flange II. The core spring is of coil formation and the width of the convolutions is greater than the convolutions of the drive spring, consequently the convolutions of the core spring overlap the convolutions of the drive spring. The core spring prevents the drive spring from buckling and reduces the strain on the motor shaft during the winding up of the drive spring.

The movement of the feed nut on the free threads is limited in one direction by the stop flange l5 and in the other direction by the retaining or securing sleeve I1.

Figure 1 shows the various parts positioned when the drive pinion is in mesh with the teeth of the fly wheel of an engine and it is to be noted that the feed nut, drive spring and drive pinion have a free floating action on the shaft 2. This permits engagement of the drive pinion with the teeth of the -fly wheel of the engine with minimum shock and also permits the drive pinion to readily adjust itself when engaging with the teeth of the fly wheel so that the teeth of said pinion readily move between the teeth of the fly wheel. The advancing of the feed nut by the feed threads brings the drive pinion in mesh with the teeth of the fly wheel of the engine and when the feed nut engages the stop flange N: then the feed sleeve, feed nut, feed spring and drive pinion rotate in unison.

Referring to my modified form of invention, as shown in Figure 7, the feed sleeve is made to have a floating action on the shaft 2 of the starter motor, as indicated by the character 24, and one end of which is formed integrally with a starter pinion 25 on which is shrunk a flange 26. The feed sleeve 24 has feed threads 2! meshed with the threads of a feed nut 28 to which is connected the drive spring M. The other end of the feed sleeve is screw threaded and has threaded thereon a stop collar 29.

An anchoring nut 30 is secured to the shaft 2 in a manner similar to the securing of the feed sleeve to the shaft in the form of my invention shown in Figures 1 to 4 and is provided with a flanged collar 3!. The nut 30 has the other end of the drive spring I4 connected thereto. Also it is to be understood that the bushing 22 is interposed between the nut 30 and the feed nut 28. Thus it will be seen that the drive from the shaft 2 will be through the nut 30, drive spring M and feed nut 28, causing the latter to rotate and the latter in rotating moves the feed sleeve 24 endwise to mesh the starter pinion with the teeth of the flywheel.

Having described the invention, I claim:

1. A starter drive comprising a starter pinion, a sleeve extending through the starter pinion and journaled on a starter motor shaft, a feed sleeve mounted on the starter motor shaft, a quick detachable means securing the feed sleeve to the shaft, a feed nut operating on the feed sleeve,

a drive spring connected to the feed nut and to the starter pinion, a coiled core spring engaging the feed nut and the starter pinion within the drive spring and having the convolutions thereof of a greater width than the convolutions of the drive spring, a stop collar formed on the feed sleeve to be abutted by the feed nut, a flange formed on the first-named sleeve, a cushion seat on said last-named flange, and a coiled spring between the cushion seat and the starter pinion.

2. A starter drive comprising a starter pinion, a sleeve extending through said pinion and journaled on a starter motor shaft, 9. feed sleeve mounted on the shaft and having a slot, a securing sleeve surrounding a portion of the feed sleeve, a key secured to the securing sleeve and extending through the slot of the feed sleeve into a keyway of the motor shaft, a set bolt threaded to the securing sleeve and extending through the feed sleeve and spotted in the shaft, a feed nut engaging the feed sleeve, and ayieldable drive between the feed nut and thestarter pinion.

3. A starter drive comprising a motor driven shaft, an exteriorly threaded feed sleeve secured to the shaft, a floating sleeve mounted upon the shaft and abutting the feed sleeve and turning freely on the shaft, a feed nut interiorly threaded to engage the threads of the feed sleeve, a pinion mounted for axial and angular movement upon the floating sleeve, a coiled drive spring connecting the feed nut and pinion, the floating sleeve having a terminal flange at the end remote from the feed sleeve, and a compression spring surrounding the feed sleeve and abutting the flange on the latter and the face of the pinion in certain positions of the latter on the feed sleeve, axial movement of said pinion on said floating sleeve being limited in opposite directions by said drive spring and said compression spring, respectively.

WILLIAM LINGO. 

